Thursday, May 9, 2013

Oakland Street Sighting - 1947 Ford Super DeLuxe V8 Fordor

Some of the best cars only seem to appear when I don't have my camera with me. I had jury duty. No point in bringing my camera. The thing was, there were no trials scheduled that day, so the entire group was excused. I went to hang out with my friend in Oakland, and naturally there at the curb was the "old forties car" he had previously told me about next to the coin laundry place near his house. He loaned me his point-and-shoot and I pointed and shot.

It's a 1947 Ford Super DeLuxe V8 Fordor sedan, and a fine one at that. Finished in a nice deep maroon with color-matched wheels with whitewall tires and lots of shiny chrome, this Ford is perfect to represent the optimistic postwar era. The 1946-48 Fords were effectively warmed-over 1942 models, with little innovation aside from a fairly attractive restyle. Manufacturers didn't have the ability to produce all-new cars right away after devoting all of their resources to the war effort for three years. Looking at these pictures, I have to wonder if this is where the 2006-2012 Ford corporate 3-bar grille took its inspiration. The 1947 Ford was perhaps the pinnacle of the three similar model years, as the 1948 model was cheapened in its materials and lost power under the hood. Contemporary reviews called it a step backward -- not unlike Consumer Reports and Motor Trend panning the 2012 Honda Civic for being worse than its similar-looking predecessor.

If there is one thing that saddens me about my photo shoot, it's that my friend's camera had only a 3x zoom and could not capture all of the car's details from across the street. The 4-door sedan is by no means my favorite body style but I'm thrilled to see one in such good condition. I can only hope that whoever purchases it will continue to take care of it and won't mess with the amazing originality.

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What is California Streets?

California Streets is a blog that celebrates the history of the automobile in California. We feature old, interesting and often rare cars and trucks found parked on public streets and roads around the state of California.

About Me

I'm a delivery driver by trade, but I'm also a freelance artist and hobby photographer in the San Francisco Bay Area with a healthy interest in cars. I love finding and documenting fascinating old vehicles wherever I go.